Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card issuers from which MillionMileSecrets.com receives compensation. Compensation does not impact the placement of cards on Million Mile Secrets other than in banner advertising. MillionMileSecrets.com does not include all credit card offers that might be available to consumers in the marketplace.

How to Plan Your Next Great Hotel Stay With Points

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Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

Planning a trip can seem overwhelming, especially when you’re new to the world of miles & points. So I’ve created a step-by-step guide to show you how to plan your hotel stay with points!

Plan Your Trip to Paris and Stay at the Beautiful Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome. It’s Within Walking Distance to the Louvre!

Let’s take a look at the best ways to find a hotel and how to find the credit card that’s best for your particular trip.

How to Find Free Hotels With Points

Step 1. Choose Your Destination

Where do you want to go? If you already have a spot in mind, then move to “Step 2.” But if you’re looking for inspiration, check out our Trip Reports for ideas!

Deciding Where You Want to Go Will Make It Easier to Plan Your Award Trip

Narrowing down a specific spot will make it easier to plan. And decide which credit cards might be worth applying for.

Step 2. Find a Hotel and Determine the Number of Points You’ll Need

Once you decide where you want to go, figure out which hotels are in the area. And what kind of points you’ll need for your stay.

I’ve written about Hotel Hustle and AwardMapper to help you search for award nights at different chain hotels at the same time.

Hotel Hustle has more functions, like showing available rooms, the cash price for comparison purposes, and alerts. But I find it runs slow sometimes. So use whichever tool works best for you!

Step 3. Check Reviews

Knowing which hotel actually has award nights available and how many points you’ll need is important. But it’s also helpful to check hotel reviews before you decide to book. Because sometimes it’s worth paying more points to have a better experience during your vacation.

Step 3. Check Reviews

Step 4. Use the Hot Deals Tab to Find the Best Card Offers

Because I know I’ll need Hyatt points for my stay, I can search Hot Deals for cards that earn Hyatt points, free night certificates, or points that can be transferred to Hyatt (like Chase Ultimate Rewards).

Step 4. Use the Hot Deals Tab to Find the Best Card Offers

The 75,000 Hilton point sign-up bonus from the AMEX Hilton Surpass card is most of the way toward 1 free night at the Conrad Tokyo. So you might consider this card if a free night at the Conrad Tokyo is your ultimate goal.

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Editorial Disclaimer: Neither the editorial content nor the comments on this site are provided by the companies whose products are featured. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or evaluations provided here are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the Advertiser.

Editorial Note: Neither the editorial content nor the comments on this site are provided by the companies whose products are featured. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or evaluations provided here are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the Advertiser.

Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card issuers from which MillionMileSecrets.com receives compensation. Compensation does not impact the placement of cards on Million Mile Secrets other than in banner advertising. MillionMileSecrets.com does not include all credit card offers that might be available to consumers in the marketplace.